A demolished Merseyside theatre was once the country's most famous live entertainment venues.
The Argyle Theatre, which was a fixture on Birkenhead’s Argyle Street for more than a century, never reopened after it was struck in the Liverpool Blitz of September 1940. The building was eventually knocked down in 1973. It was dubbed ‘The Cradle of the Stars’ and once the country's most famous live entertainment venues.
The theatre earned its nickname owing to its reputation for showcasing up-and-coming young talent. Across the Argyle’s 72-year spell as a working theatre, the venue played host to stars such as Charlie Chaplin, George Formby and ‘Soldier's Sweetheart’ Gertie Gitana.
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It was manager Denis Clarke, who took charge of the theatre during the 1890s, who helped to propel the venue to international success. In 1896, the Argyle became the first place outside of London to show moving pictures after Mr Clarke, with help from the local electrical substation, used his mother’s best bed sheets as a screen on which film could be projected.
Decades later, in an effort to combat the lull in custom following The Great Depression, Mr Clarke secured a contract with the BBC which saw the theatre broadcast the network’s first Music Hall performance. This feat was bettered a few years later when the Argyle became the first Music Hall show to broadcast in America.
The Birkenhead Advertiser reported at the time: “Without seeing the Vitagraph, it is difficult to imagine the realism with which a storm at sea, boys fighting for pennies under Brighton Pier, children paddling and donkey riding on the beach are depicted.”
Unfortunately, despite efforts from the Clarke family to restore the Argyle after it was hit by a German bomb, the theatre failed to reopen its doors before in was demolished.
